I am not a fan of the Nigerian judiciary! I am not a fan of the Nigerian Police and law enforcement agencies! Yes, I am not a fan of the Nigerian legislature nay Nigerian executives! All of them have a fanatic penchant of subverting the law and divorcing equity from fairness and justice. I am really worried at the pace with which our justice system succumbs to all manner of intimidation from the police …thus sending the innocent always to the gallows!
The very idea of Confessional Statements from Police has now become urgent to be addressed! It is worth this attention because i have gracefully watched the unfolding of the drama in most criminal proceedings and have been a witness of the torture chambers where this so called confessional statement emanates! But what is confessional statement?
Confessional statements are such entries made by suspects in acknowledgment of their involvement in a crime. It’s broadly influenced by so many factors but here in Nigeria, it’s abundantly a product of pain, torture and brutality. Without any error of contradiction, the Nigerian Police have one outstanding and remarkable style of investigation which is torture. Indeed, all investigation begins and ends with torture and extraction of confessional statements in police stations across the country. Let me put the narrative into perspective…
On August 1, 2013! A group of hotel staffs were brought into SARS Awkuzu police station around 3.30pm and by 4.00pm, the officer in charge of that station had already sent out signals that they have all made confessional statement! But what is confessional statement I ruminated with chains? Is it different from statement I always heard people did at police? Of course, I only came to understand it when we were later charged to court and copies of shit were read out as my confessional statement! While I went through the copy, key facts emerged. The handwriting was far from being my own, the English belongs to a world class illiterate while thumb print instead of my signature was appendaged, typical of a man who could neither read nor write! I dropped the sheet…no the sheet dropped from my hand and I became momentarily agape! Yet, this is normal and typical of what confessional statements look like in case files inside court rooms before Honourable Judges.
But it is not just the way of writing these confessions for supposed crime suspects that worries me, also it is the pattern of torture which compels victims to write, sign or be signed for! Through hanging, rod passing, rope strangling, electrocuting, water bathe and machete slaps and other barbaric method, one is left with the option of write, sign or die in detention. Of course, dying in detention is no news as its normal during my 85 days of detention at SARS Awkuzu. Yet, everyday these corrupt and crooked officers send their case files to court fully aware of the non-confessional nature of these statements.
On 23rd September, I listened to over 4hours debate on a criminal proceeding between two learned lawyers. While the debate dwindled, I saw the hope of a common man, a suspect for 6 years awaiting trial dashed just because of the poor performance of his lawyer who after all was unable to argue for the dubitability of a confessional statement credited to his client. I remembered those torture moments and days; I could only conclude its time to say no Torture!
In trying to manufacture non-existent evidence, support shoddy or sponsored arrest, the police, perhaps under the instructions of Mr. Peter Obi compelled staffs of Upper Class Hotel to make confessional statements or face “travelling” which was death. Today, those pseudo confessions are null but I am aware many folks go down.
It’s for the law court and judges to admit or otherwise throw out these confessions but I write to support the bill to criminalize torture in Nigeria. In passing this Bill, we save a lot of souls and innocents!
By Justin Ogoo Nwankwo
